A Swear of Fidelity
by Blueberrychills94
Summary: The Careers have to know, without any doubt, that they are loyal to one another. And, to do this, they have to go to huge lengths to prove their dedication. When Peeta approaches Clove and asks to join the group, Cato volunteers to find out if he's serious or not. What he didn't expect was to become so taken with the boy from 12 as soon as he laid eyes on him. Is love in the air?


**A/N: Happy Valentine's Day everyone! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games.**

**A Swear of Fidelity **

**By blueberrychills94**

"What do you mean 12 wants to join the pack?" Glimmer stood up so fast the table the careers had gathered around shook with the force. "Is he deluding himself? Did the fancy Capitol soaps make him _high_ or something?" Clove simply shrugged, picking at her teeth with a small pick. Cato wasn't completely sure what to make of the situation. When Clove had sat down at the table and declared that the boy from 12 had approached her, asking to join the pack, he almost thought she was joking.

"Surely he wasn't serious. Are you sure he wasn't trying to make a fool of you?" Marvel asked. "Wouldn't be too hard." He smirked over his goblet of wine and laughed when Clove shot him a dirty look.

"Even if he was, it is still my duty to report it," she fired back. "Is that protocol or isn't it?"

Career Protocol was stupid. Since everyone swore loyalty to each other, there were many things they had to do to prove they weren't hiding things from one another. One of these things being that if anyone outside their pack came by inquiring about joining up, they had to tell the others and have some form of discussion about it. Which was currently taking place over the dinner table on Glimmer and Marvel's floor.

Cato rolled his eyes and pushed his plate away from him. "What did you say to him?"

Clove scoffed. "I told him to fuck off."

"Of course you did," Cato sighed.

"What did the squirt even offer?" Marvel asked.

Clove flicked the tooth pick away and smirked when Glimmer yelped as it hit her arm. She sat down petulantly and pursed her lips. "He said he'd tell us everything we needed to know about Katniss Everdeen."

Glimmer frowned. "Who?"

"Fire girl," Cato mused thoughtfully. Ever since the Chariot Rides, Katniss Everdeen had been proving to be a tricky customer. It was clear she wasn't going to go down without a fight-being a smash at the parade and earning the highest training score-and yet, when she had her interview with Caesar only mere hours ago, all she did was twirl and giggle and whine about her stupid sister.

Cato also thought about the girl's District partner. What was his name? Peeta. In _his_ interview he declared his love for fire girl. Now why would he profess his love and then go to Clove not even an hour later and tell her that he would betray the girl he loved? Something didn't sit right with Cato about it and he knew Clove had been right to tell him to piss off.

"Do you think he was being honest?" Glimmer asked, leaning forward, suddenly invigorated.

"Probably not. I would say he'd draw us away more than he would push us closer," Clove answered.

"Maybe he was faking," Marvel suggested. "The love thing. I mean, the citizens are idiots, right? They would eat up any lovey dovey crap that was fired their way."

Glimmer leaned her back against the chair and smirked. "I wouldn't mind finding out if he was loyal for us," she said. Her finger spun her golden hair around in her commonly disgusting way. Cato hated how ditzy the damn girl could act sometimes. How she even managed to be reaped was a wonder.

"No, Glimmer," said Marvel.

"Why not?" Glimmer demanded. She picked up her fork and stabbed it into the mahogany table so it stuck upright. "I can fuck anyone from hell and back and every single one you know it. It's how I got reaped in the first place. I would take that boy and still have time to paint my nails after I made him cum. I could bring back his exact cock measurements and it wouldn't bother me a bit. Why shouldn't it be me?"

"Because you've already proved fidelity twice," Clove said, rolling her eyes. "Any more and you'll be able to shove a turkey up your"-

"The point is that why should 12 prove fidelity if we aren't going to take him in?" Cato clarified. He took a sip of wine and quirked a thoughtful eyebrow as the image of 12 in his suit from earlier came into his mind. He was definitely hot, in his own awkward way. Maybe it wouldn't be too much of an imposition to see where his loyalties lay . . .

"Why couldn't Yana and Dimitri be here again?" Marvel suddenly asked. Yana and Dimitri from 4 had come up with some excuse as to why they couldn't make the discussion. Cato didn't trust either of them and intended to keep them at a distance throughout the Games.

"No idea," Clove muttered.

Cato turned his head and took another sip of wine. "I think I should check out 12. See if he's loyal or not."

"Why you?" Glimmer snapped.

"Because I only swore fidelity once and every second I was inside you made me sick to my stomach," Cato threw back. "You all know my act of loyalty was the largest." He looked at each other them in turn. Marvel smirked. Clove rolled her eyes. Glimmer smouldered. Each of them knew that Cato was the most dedicated to the pack as he made the sacrifice of swearing between the legs of a woman instead of his preference of a man. "I will do anything for our cause and all of you know that my results are the best."

Glimmer stood up again and walked around the table. "How do we know you just don't want to fuck the boy?" she asked. "I mean, you haven't gotten any in . . . well . . . ever since you fucked me. And even then you closed your eyes and acted like I wasn't there." She spun around, her skirt swishing like a curtain of satin. "So how do we know you're not just saying this because you want to taste coal on your tongue?"

"You don't," Cato answered simply.

Clove shrugged. "Whatever. I don't really care what your motives are, as long as you get the job done."

Marvel hummed his agreement. "As long as you are able to report the result before the Bloodbath."

Cato stood up with a sigh, grabbed the bottle of wine and carrying his goblet to the elevator. "Tell an avox that I request the presence of Peeta from 12 in my chambers, would you?" he called.

"Sure," Glimmer said, muttering, "asshole," at the end.

Ah, the joys of pissing off women.

~xXx~

The boy from 12 was even prettier up close. He nervously stood at the foot of Cato's bed, head cocked in confusion as he watched the older boy drink wine as he lounged at the head of the bed. Cato knew he wouldn't have a problem bedding the kid. Peeta wasn't particularly tall but his stature made up for that. His hair resembled gold that shimmered under the lights and his eyes were the brightest blue Cato had ever seen.

"How can I help you, Peeta?" Cato inquired, filling his goblet up with more wine.

"You tell me," Peeta replied nervously.

"Clove tells me that you want to join us," said Cato. "Why is that?"

Peeta played with his fingers nervously and didn't meet Cato's eyes. "The point of the Hunger Games is to survive. I figured joining your pack would be the best way to survive . . . That and I think I can offer you a lot."

Cato raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"

"Katniss . . . I can tell you anything you want to know about her," said Peeta. He touched his neck and rested the side of his face against his arm, anxiously covering his face from Cato's eyes. "Anything you want to know, all you need to do is ask me and I'll tell you."

"Do you really think it's as easy as offer something we need and you can join?" asked Cato. Peeta shrugged, muttering something about he really didn't know what he thought. "Being a career isn't just to do with where you're born. We have to prove our loyalty to each other. We don't just take in anyone. How do we know you can be trusted?"

Peeta lifted his head from his arm. "I'll do anything to prove loyalty. Anything. Just tell me what I have to do."

Cato smirked. He wondered if the boy would regret saying that. "Sit down. You look incredibly uncomfortable." When Peeta looked unsure, Cato patted the space on the bed beside him. Peeta skirted nervously around the bed and perched on the edge of it. Rolling his eyes, Cato grabbed Peeta's elbow and dragged him to sit fully beside him on the mattress. He grabbed the bottle he had taken from the first floor and held it out to Peeta. "Wine?"

"No, thank you. I-I don't drink," Peeta said.

"I shouldn't either, really," Cato sighed. As he said this, he was already pressing the lip of his goblet against his mouth. "Underage and all that rubbish. But since there's a possibility of death in the Games I thought things as trivial as wine shouldn't be such a concern anymore."

"I guess . . ." Peeta trailed off, sounding unsure. "But won't you have a hangover tomorrow? I mean, the Games do begin tomorrow and you don't want to be limited, do you?"

Cato considered it. Peeta had a point. He put the goblet down and took another moment to examine what he was getting into. Literally. Peeta was pale, but in a strange way. He didn't look sick. It made him look almost . . . delicate. Cato wondered if he would feel delicate as well. If he would be firm or soft under his hand . . . "Do you want to know how we prove loyalty to each other?"

"Yes," Peeta said. He glanced at Cato but couldn't hold eye contact. The blue crystals skittered away as fast as they had arrived. Which was a shame because Cato was curious as to what sort of shade they were. He'd never seen such vivid blue before. Sure, he knew many people with blue eyes but never this clear or pronounced.

"We fornicate with each other," Cato sighed. "It's the only way to show our true dedication and prove we won't betray one another. You're lucky, really. Glimmer was going to come after you and, trust me, you don't want that."

Peeta was silent.

"That's why you summoned me?" he eventually asked.

"If you want to join the pack, then yes." Cato actually founding himself wanting the boy to be willing to prove his dedication. Peeta was so beautiful; so gentle; so delicate. Cato wanted to ruin him. He didn't even know if he cared for consent. "I'm not doing it tomorrow in the arena. I'd rather keep my sex life private and not in the eyes of thousands of Capitol nimrods. So you must decide now."

Peeta curled his knees up to his chest in an attempt to make himself smaller. "I've never done that sort of thing before," he murmured into his knees.

"Don't worry," said Cato, "I have." He'd never had sex with a virgin before. He wondered whether it was as good as it was made out to be. "Are you willing now? Or are you going to leave with your tail between your legs?"

Peeta pushed his fingers through his hair and buried his face in his arms. "Do with me as you wish. I will do anything to prove I'm serious." Cato's heart skipped in excitement. He didn't know why. He'd had sex numerous times and had never been this . . . happy about being given consent. Peeta looked over his shoulder at the career. "Why you?" he asked.

"What do you mean why me?" asked Cato.

"Why not one of the others? Why does it have to be you in particular?" asked Peeta.

Cato touched Peeta's shoulder and murmured in his ear, "Why? Scared you might like being fucked by a man?"

Peeta shuddered. "I have always kept an open mind. Things like that do not shock me. It could have been Marvel for all I care. I just want to know why _you._"

Cato couldn't resist and closed the distance between his lips and the younger boy's skin. He took his earlobe between his teeth and nibbled on it, taking pleasure in the shaky intake of breath it received. Peeta shook like a leaf but didn't protest as Cato's mouth abused his skin. "Because if it was Marvel, then you probably wouldn't be fit for the Games tomorrow," Cato answered.

Peeta gulped. "That bad?"

"Probably worse," Cato replied. If Marvel had his way with Peeta, the boy would probably pass out on his podium the next morning and be blown to smithereens. Cato sighed and leaned back against the wooden headboard. "And as much as I want to win these Games, I like to keep the prettiest contenders close at hand. Until the end, that is."

"Is that why you hang around with that blonde girl from 1?" Peeta asked.

Cato snorted. "You think she's pretty?" This could go either two ways: He could lose his respect for Peeta's taste in women or he would be pleasantly surprised by Peeta's response to the question.

"Uh . . . no." Peeta shook his head. "I've never really been all that attracted to anyone."

Pleasantly surprised it is then. Cato found himself grinning.

"Not even fire girl?"

"No, not even her. That was a survival strategy."

Cato was surprised by Peeta's honesty. Maybe the kid really was serious about being part of the group. He smirked. "Glimmer's from District 1. I don't have a choice in being around her. She's an airhead, really, and it's a damn shame I had to fuck her to prove my faithfulness to the group. She keens like a cat being strangled. It's disgusting."

Peeta's eyebrows drew together and he carefully touched his ear; the one Cato had been nibbling on. "If you didn't want to, why didn't you choose someone else? Like a . . . guy or something . . . ?"

"District 1 and 2 always do each other. District 4 do one another. It seems the Careers of the first decade were hetero assholes," Cato explained. Anger bubbled up inside him and he grabbed his wine glass again. "I don't make the rules. I only enforce them." Really, he hadn't had sex-proper sex-in ages and the more he sat in the presence of Peeta the stronger the urge to rip off his clothes and devour him became.

"What do I have to do?" Peeta randomly asked. He turned around to face Cato and tried to wear a mask of indifference. Years of emotional conditioning made Cato able to see right through it into the nervous little boy that hid underneath. In a way, it was kind of sexy how anxious he was about doing this.

Cato titled his head and found himself staring at Peeta's lips. They were so pink and plump it was almost inhuman. His cock twitched and he immediately knew what he wanted the boy to do first. "You can start by putting that gorgeous mouth of yours to use and suck me off."

Peeta's eyes nervously flickered from Cato's face to his crotch and the unsettled stare did nothing for Cato's current state of arousal. His adam's apple bobbed and he licked his lips. The way his tongue ran over the velvet curve of his bottom lip drove Cato crazy and he suppressed the urge to grab the boy and ruin him right there and then.

Peeta Mellark was quite rare, and Cato knew he would probably never have the chance to do this with someone like him ever again.

When Peeta made a move to shift down to crotch level, Cato grabbed his arm suddenly and stopped him. The smaller blond looked at him in surprise, eyes wide like a startled bunny. "Wait," he said, "just let me . . ." He pulled Peeta over to him and pushed his hands underneath the boy's shirt, touching the satin skin underneath and pulling the garment up his torso and over his head. Peeta flushed bright pink and tried to fold his arms over his chest, embarrassed by how skinny he felt he looked.

Cato grabbed Peeta's arms and forced them to his sides. His chest and stomach weren't like that of a career's but the small amount of muscle he had was surprisingly hot in Cato's eyes. He wondered if it was the wine going to his head but, side tracking the whole cock sucking thing for a second, he ran his hands along Peeta's chest and abs in admiration.

"I thought 12 boys were skinny little fucks. Where did you get such an impressive physique from?" Despite being no match to a Career male, Peeta's muscle mass was still impressive considering where he came from and Cato was curious as to how he got it. He had always been raised to believe that a good body was something hard earned. Something that working and training ever since he was five bestowed upon him. But Peeta surely hadn't been working ever since he was a kid, right?

"I . . . work at a bakery," Peeta explained nervously. "I have to carry sacks of flour around and they're quite heavy . . ."

Oh. Well, that made sense. It might not have been hours and hours of breakneck training that slowly grew from vomit-worthy work outs to no sweat work outs but it sounded like hard work. Peeta didn't seem like a slacker and Cato could imagine him working hard to earn his living. From the documentaries they showed him in school, the citizens of 12 were made out to be lazy good-for-nothings but Cato's mother always told him to not believe everything the Capitol patent documentaries told him.

Cato realized he was staring at Peeta's lips again. They were even more tempting when he was talking. Curling a hand into the boy's blond curls, Cato pulled Peeta down and pressed their lips together. There was a small squeak of protest but Peeta didn't push Cato away, adjusting to the sensation of being kissed by a man and slowly growing to enjoy it. A little fumbly due to his obvious innocence, Peeta's velvet lips moved uncertainly against Cato's but he managed to keep in rhythm with the older boy who was, let's face it, doing most of the work anyway.

Losing himself in the kiss, Cato occupied his free hand by teasingly crawling up and down the smaller boy's torso before slithering underneath the waistband of his jeans and underwear. Peeta tensed, dropping out of the rhythm completely and gasping at the cold feeling of Cato's hand in his pants. Cato continued regardless, coaxing Peeta back into the kiss by pushing his tongue into the boy's mouth and exploring the warm wetnesss inside.

"Do you know how sex with another man works?" Cato broke the kiss to ask.

Peeta sheepishly shook his head. "No. You don't really . . . do that sort of thing in 12. We-we don't even learn about girl-boy sex works. We have to learn it our-ourselves. B-being gay isn't really accepted in 12 though . . ."

Cato rolled his eyes. Typical. He couldn't help smiling at the way Peeta said 'girl-boy' sex though. He pushed his hand further into Peeta's underwear curiously, passing his cock and balls and going straight for his untouched sweetness. When he pushed passed his finger over his entrance, Peeta gripped Cato's shoulders in surprise, his fingers digging into the older man's skin desperately. "Nervous?" Cato asked teasingly.

"Weren't you? At your first time?" Peeta replied shakily.

"Eh," Cato shrugged. Really, his first time hadn't been all that spectacular. All he really remembered was a lot of beer that he shouldn't have been drinking and a guy from the year above him taking him to his bedroom. If he had been nervous, Cato couldn't remember. "It's all a blurr, really."

Peeta opened his eyes and tilted his head. "You don't remember?" he asked.

"Nope," Cato answered. "Probably nothing special."

"But your first time should be . . ." Peeta reached up and touched Cato's face. Cato flinched, taken aback by the unexpected gesture. "The first time you do such a thing with someone should be for love . . . Unless things are done differently in 2 anyway."

Cato snorted. "Do I look the sort of guy who fucks for love?" he asked seriously.

Peeta narrowed his eyes. "I guess not," he said sceptically.

"Where _you_ saving yourself for someone?" Cato frowned.

"No. I couldn't. I just thought I'd be . . ."

"What? Celibate?!" Cato exclaimed.

"Well _I _never thought someone would want to have sex with me!" Peeta threw back. "I had a crush on Katniss for a while but she's always with Gale and he's way more attractive than I am."

Cato rolled his eyes. "Probably not." He smirked. "If it makes your feel any better, I really do not mind having to ask for proof of loyalty from you. In fact, I think I'm going to enjoy it. That is, if you don't cry about it. My dad says the girl he had to fuck cried . . ." He trailed off and looked at Peeta. "You aren't going to cry rape are you?"

Peeta chewed on his lip. "No," he concluded. "You seem nice enough. A bit misguided but really, really nice. And . . . and really cute." He smiled sheepishly and ducked his head into his chest in embarrassment.

Cato grinned and pulled Peeta closer to him, so their bodies touched. "Really now?" he teased.

Peeta's face was on fire. He nodded viciously. "Uh-huh," he admitted.

Cato was surprised by how pleased this made him. He didn't realize that they had gotten sidetracked until Peeta coughed and said, "Cato, you're digging into me and it kind of hurts." Cato hadn't even realized that he had gotten so turned on that it was possible for him to be hurting anyone. "Do you want me to get on with the . . . sucking?"

"Oh yeah," said Cato, releasing Peeta from his hold so the boy could slither down his body. "Go ahead."

When Peeta released Cato from his pants, he sighed in relief. His cock stood up proud as a peacock and Peeta's eyes widened at the sight of it. He looked at Cato frantically. "But . . . but . . . ." he stuttered fearfully. "Will it . . . ?"

Cato couldn't help chuckling at him. "It will, trust me."

The younger boy still looked unsure but he continued anyway. Peeta put as much of Cato into his mouth as he could fit. Cato's eyes threatened to flutter shut because of the gorgeous feeling of having such a hot, wet mouth against his cock again but he forced himself to keep them open, to drink in the sight of Peeta's beautiful lips wrapped around his dick and the movement of his head as he bobbed up and down.

Hands threading into his hair to guide his head more efficiently, Cato muttered, "Take your pants off." He then watched as-while still keeping his length in his mouth-Peeta unbuckled his jeans and slid them off over the curve of his ass along with his underwear, lifting his knees one at a time to tug them off and kick them away.

It didn't take Cato long to feel like he was nearing his end and he ordered Peeta to stop before he came. Peeta obediently did so and managed to make the situation even more erotic than it already was by sexily wiping the saliva away from his lips with the back of his hand. When he sat up, Cato was rewarded with the pleasure of seeing where Peeta's perfect torso trailed off to. His hipbones stood out and gave way to a lovely little 'v' that lead down to his cock which was-to Cato's great shock but immense happiness-hard with want.

"Turn around and get on your hands and knees," Cato demanded firmly while sitting up onto his knees. Peeta anxiously did so, the way his arms shook a little in anticipation not slipping Cato's notice. Cato decided that Peeta's best feature was definitely his ass. His cheeks were perfectly shaped and looked plump but taut, meaning promising possibilities for his hole.

He felt the soft skin in his hands, cupping each cheek and squeezing gently. "What sort of things can you tell me about Everdeen?" asked Cato.

"Anything," Peeta whispered shakily.

Cato smacked Peeta's ass gently, laughing when Peeta yelped in surprise. "Go on then, give me an example."

"I . . . uh . . . she's been using a bow and arrow ever since she was a kid. It's like an extension of her arm," Peeta said quickly.

"Hmm. So do you think that's what she did as her special skill?" asked Cato. His hands crawled up Peeta's back and pulled him up by his shoulders to he leaned against his back. Peeta nestled his head in the crook of Cato's neck, surprisingly content with their current position.

"I . . . think so," he answered.

"So," Cato asked, turning Peeta around so they were facing each other, "what did you do?"

"Me?" Peeta asked in surprise. "I . . . uh . . . I just threw stuff around until they told me I could go. They were pretty wasted by that point. I think I heard someone say they were going to order a pig."

Urgh. Capitolites. Always thinking about their stomachs. Cato slid his hand up Peeta's shoulders and held each side of his neck, pulling him closer for a kiss. "They're idiots," he said. "I wouldn't worry about them. You got an eight, didn't you? That's pretty impressive."

"Katniss got an eleven," Peeta reminded Cato. He gasped lightly as Cato's lips found his neck and sucked on the tender skin between his neck and collarbone. "And they were still in the same state . . ."

"I told you, they're idiots," Cato insisted. "Come on, lie down." He wound his arm around Peeta's waist and lay him down on the bed. Peeta looked up at him nervously, chewing on his bottom lip like it was a stick of gum. His mysteriously blue eyes were tinted a darker shade, like the shade fluctuated with his emotions.

"I don't know if I'm going to be good at this," Peeta said.

"Don't worry," Cato assured. "I'll take care yo-I mean it."

Cato skimmed nose up the line between Peeta's abs. Peeta sucked in apprehensively but his hands shakily slid into Cato's hair. "That tickles," he whispered timidly.

"Sssh," hushed Cato. He peppered kisses over Peeta's torso and actually enjoyed how the boy beneath him's fingers massaged his scalp. He pushed himself up a little and took one of Peeta's nipples into his mouth. Peeta's yelp dissolved into a moan, his lower body bowing upwards into Cato's. He squirmed weakly underneath Cato, the confusing pleasure of the older boy's lips vehemently sucking his nipple stealing his breath away

"Oh!" Peeta suddenly gasped.

"What?" Cato asked in surprise.

Blushing lightly, Peeta sheepishly said, "I baked you cupcakes. I kind of left them outside in case you were . . . well, in case you were an ass."

Cato laughed. "Really now?"

"Mmhm," Peeta hummed. "Just . . . don't tell anyone. I followed an avox to the kitchens and begged them to allow me to bake. It makes me feel at home . . . you see. Some of them even watched and helped."

Cato was amazed by how Peeta's eyes lit up as he explained about how he was allowed to bake. He smiled and rolled over to the side. "Go on and get them then."

Peeta ducked his head shyly and heaved himself off the mattress to sit on the edge of the bed. He reached out to grab the silk throw that was over the end of the bed but Cato reached out and touched Peeta's hand. "Don't cover yourself. You've got a really hot body, it'd be a shame to try and hid it."

"If I do, will you think I was being disloyal?" asked Peeta.

Cato quirked an eyebrow. "Maybe I would, maybe I wouldn't. Want to risk it?"

Peeta gulped but left the blanket where it was. While he went to get his cupcakes, Cato grabbed his goblet again and filled it with more wine. He never thought he'd enjoying watching someone cross the short distance from his bed to the door before but his eyes stayed glued to Peeta's back as he went to the door and peered out to make sure Clove or one of the mentors weren't around to accidentally cross his path. There were two dimples at the bottom of his back and Cato could imagine his thumbs fitting perfectly in the small grooves as he fucked his tight little ass. Peeta tried to rotate a little so Cato wouldn't see his butt as he bent over to retrieve the cakes but he failed, only succeeding in accidentally giving Cato a better view of it.

His hands picked nervously at the plastic box full of cupcakes as he shut the door and walked back to the bed. Cato wound his arms around the younger boy's waist when he was close enough and pulled him onto the bed to lie against him. Peeta cracked open the box and took one of the cakes out. It was decorated with bright blue icing and little green flowers. "Here," said Peeta.

"So I'm not an ass then?" Cato smirked.

"No," Peeta smiled. "Try."

Cato took the cake back and took a bite out of it. "Oh god," he said. "That's like a fucking orgasm in your mouth."

"Don't over exaggerate," Peeta mumbled sheepishly.

"No, here, try," Cato broke a piece off and slipped it into Peeta's mouth. "Isn't it?"

"I don't know . . ." said Peeta reluctantly.

"You're nuts," Cato chuckled. "I think it's great. Brilliant even. Jesus, no one in 2 could bake like this. Fuck me sideways."

"Isn't that what you're supposed to do to me?" asked Peeta. He shivered. Cato's arms tightened around him as if holding him closer would remove the fear of having to lose what he believed to be cherished. Cato felt possessive all of a sudden. He didn't know what to do anymore. Maybe instead of taking what wasn't his he could just . . .

Cato stroked Peeta's chest with his fingertips, taking the box of cakes from the smaller boy and putting it down beside the wine. He crawled down Peeta's chest and stomach, gently grasping the boys cock in his hand.

"Ah!" Peeta yelped. His body jumped in surprise, somehow jerking in shock but also pushing up into Cato's hand. "I-I thought you're s-s-s-supposed to"-

"Sssh," Cato hushed again. "Trust me."

Cato stroked Peeta's manhood carefully, drinking in how Peeta responded to his touch like an animal in heat. The younger boy's hips rotated and pushed up into Cato's hand, each movement punctuated with a loud groan of pleasure. Cato almost forgot that Peeta was a virgin and touched him like the man he believed he was. The only thing that reminded him of it was when Peeta cried out loudly and came over himself.

Flushed in embarrassment, Peeta sat up in a flash. "Oh my god I'm so sorry. I-I-I oh, god, I can't, I better go."

Cato grabbed Peeta's hand and stopped him. "Hey, it's alright. It's natural."

"I'm not an idiot, it's not supposed to happen that soon. I can't even do this properly"-

"You're fine," Cato laughed. "I'm serious."

Peeta looked at their intertwined hands. "Is this where you fuck me?" he asked quietly.

Cato shook his head. "No. It's where I let you go. You've proven yourself loyal enough."

"Really?" The look of relief that washed over Peeta's face made Cato realize how scared the smaller boy had been. He felt something that resembled guilt. He reached out and touched Peeta's face.

"I'll tell the others you've proven yourself. Don't worry."

Peeta stared at Cato for a long moment. Trying to find the catch; the joke; the lie. He searched Cato and found nothing. He leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss against Cato's lips. Cato closed his eyes and basked in it, shocked by how much he wanted it to last forever. But it couldn't. Because there was Games to play. Games he had to win.

"Thank you," Peeta whispered.

Cato touched Peeta's face carefully. "You're welcome, Peeta."

Peeta got dressed and, just before he left, he turned to Cato and said, "You're not a monster Cato. Don't let Capitol stereotypes define you, it's what they want."

And when the younger boy was gone, Cato's eyes fell on the box of cupcakes that lay on the bedside table.

If they had been born into another life, Cato would have loved to have taken Peeta and maybe, just maybe, have fallen in love with him.

**A/N: Please R&amp;R! :D **


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